Xal-Ease®: impact of an ocular hypotensive delivery device on ease of eyedrop administration, patient compliance, and satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose To measure the impact of the Xal-Ease® delivery device on ease of eyedrop administration and on treatment compliance and satisfaction. Methods This prospective, multicenter, randomized, comparative, crossover study was conducted at 43 sites in France. Eligible subjects were >18 years of age, were diagnosed with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, had been treated with latanoprost or fixed-combination latanoprost/timolol for ≥3 months prior to enrollment, and did not require a therapy change. Subjects used either Xal-Ease or the dropper bottle for 4 weeks and then switched to the alternate delivery method for the next 4 weeks. Subjects completed questionnaires after 1 and 4 weeks in each treatment period. Results In all, 211 subjects were enrolled, 107 to the Xal-Ease/dropper bottle group and 104 to the dropper bottle/Xal-Ease group. Baseline demographic and ocular characteristics were similar. Use of Xal-Ease made it significantly less likely that the subject would need someone to help with drop instillation (6.9% vs 18.1%, respectively; p<0.001) and reduced the problem of the tip of the bottle touching the eye (3.2% vs 35.6%, respectively; p<0.001). Reported compliance rates were very high and similar across groups during both treatment periods. After 1 month of use during both treatment periods, more than 70% of subjects reported global satisfaction with Xal-Ease to their physicians. No adverse events associated with the use of Xal-Ease were noted. Conclusions Xal-Ease generally makes administration of latanoprost or fixed-combination latanoprost/timolol easier compared with the dropper bottle.

Eye drop instillation technique in patients with glaucoma

“…A further limitation of this study is that we did not examine the role of compliance aids, which can improve drop instillation for some patients and have been reported to significantly reduce touching of the bottle tip to the eye and eyelid. 22 We decided not to include compliance aids in this study, as they are often suitable for only a single bottle design and many patients find it easier to use drops without such a device. 23 Despite the limitations, this study has shown that previous education regarding eye drop instillation technique is significantly associated with a patient's ability to instil drops correctly.…”

Orbital Exenteration: a series of cases

“…Nordmann et al (12) published in 2009 a multicenter, prospective, randomized and cross-linked study with 211 individuals in France to assess the impact of the device XalEase ® in relation to the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma with latanoprost or latanoprost and timolol. The authors observed that the use of the device reduced the need for someone to help the patient on instillation and decreased the problem of touching the tip of the bottle of eye drops into the eyes (p < 0.001).…”

Eye

“…It has been demonstrated that standardisation of administration instructions and the use of mechanical aids can improve patient compliance. Certain commercial products are supplied with devices to facilitate instillation such as Xal-Ease and Eyot, and also Autosqueeze developed by the British Royal National Institute for the Blind [133]. An overview of the various mechanical aids can be found in Sect.…”